4/10/10 NOTE: 4/10/10 NOTE: One of the things I hope to give my vets is the ability to relax when faced with a situation of vulnerability or stress. I was going back through the AikiWeb External Aikido Blog Posts and re-read Sensei Mark Abrams blog on relaxing, www.aikiweb.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17810 .
I highly recommend reading it. I like both his thoughts and theories and especially his process for enabling his students to experience, experiment and internalize what I agree is “relaxation” while retaining effectiveness/ki.
While I tell my students to “relax muscle tension to their center” in order to lower their center of gravity, I think using Sensei Abrams teaching method will help them learn it on a kinesthetic level.
Thank you Sensei for another teaching point, another tool these guys might be able to use.

(Original blog post may be found here (http://ptsd-veterans.blogspot.com/2010/04/teaching-relaxation.html).)